Probability and Statistics

Our Approach

Probability and statistics are powerful tools for describing the real world using methods that are accessible to students with a solid background in introductory algebra. Probability and Statistics, a supplementary text in our Algebra 1 curriculum, gives students an appreciation for the ways that algebra can be used to solve practical business and scientific problems. The text starts with a discussion of the basic concepts of probability then moves into descriptive statistics including using charts to summarize and analyze data, modeling data with linear regression and drawing conclusions about a population using the normal distribution.

Practical Applications

Students often ask, "When am I ever going to use this?" Probability and statistics are great vehicles for answering that question. In the statistics chapters, the end of section exercises have a series of questions that encourage students to develop an understanding of statistical topics by analyzing a problem they choose, i.e. that's interesting to them. The questions take students through the process of coming up with a research topic, collecting relevant data and analyzing it.